The road revelers

When Billy Schuh steps to the mic at Mojo’s tomorrow night with his band The Foundry Field Recordings, he won’t be nervous. At least not nearly as nervous as he once was before a hometown crowd.

“Being in a small town like this is — you put on a poor performance first time out of the gates and it’s going to stay with you for a while,” said Schuh, who has lived in Columbia since 1995. As the group began playing out of town more regularly, Schuh experienced less anxiety before a show, viewing each gig as a “clean slate.”

Schuh’s band is one of an increasing number of artists, either born or based in Columbia, making it big in other settings. The Foundry Field Recordings have joined acts like White Rabbits and Mahjongg in gaining national recognition and a thumbs up from critics — the band has gotten positive write-ups in SPIN, Filter and CMJ while playing alongside acts like Spoon, Super Furry Animals and Aqueduct.

As the band’s star began to rise, members began making transitions — “little things to make the road happen,” Schuh said. Finding larger vehicles with trailers, taking more flexible jobs and getting increased press coverage were all signals they weren’t in Kansas — rather, Missouri — anymore. “Once our album started hitting the blogs and stuff, we were selling stuff to Japan,” Schuh said. “I think my original goal when I was just starting to play the guitar was ‘Man, it’d be so cool if I could sell one album to somebody I didn’t know.’ ”

Although Schuh and FFR have taken a traditional route up the rock ’n’ roll ladder, other locally nurtured artists have taken a road less traveled when it comes to touring. Singer-songwriter Hilary Scott, who lived in Columbia for seven years, has played a mixture of cover songs and her own material six nights a week at the Park Hyatt Saigon, a five-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, since mid-July. This is the second Vietnam booking for Scott, who has also played in South Korea and Italy.

For performers like Scott, playing overseas can present opportunities that aren’t as easy to come by stateside. “It’s hard to make a living touring in the States, and it’s a big country with a lot of miles to cover,” she said in an e-mail. “Overseas, musicians from the States are very appreciated. The publicity they’ve done for me here in Vietnam is amazing.” Scott has been prominently featured in the national newspaper, received coverage on the country’s tourism Web site and had “articles tucked into the seat backs of international flights.”

Eva Ellingsworth, a 28-year-old singer-songwriter, has also made the most of playing overseas. Ellingsworth recently won a songwriting competition in the Netherlands, where she has lived for more than three of the past five years. A self-described “Boone baby” who was born at a Columbia hospital and grew up here, Ellingsworth moved to Amsterdam to work at a church. Ellingsworth has also recorded her first EP, given songwriting workshops, done radio shows and played in Belgium. Playing songs inspired by her Columbia upbringing for European audiences has allowed her “to share a picture of what life is like in America.”

“It’s kind of like getting a taste of home while I’m away,” she added.

Whether traveling the United States in a 15-passenger van like Schuh or heading to other parts of the globe, each artist grew significantly while playing locally. “Columbia was a fabulous place to shape my sound,” Scott said. “I had the opportunity to grow as a professional because I was able to play so many different kinds of venues.” Early Columbia gigs also helped Schuh become more professional — teaching him important things like how to coordinate a show, communicate well with soundmen and stop looking at his feet while singing. He also learned the significance of spending time with people after shows, cultivating relationships with fans and other bands.

For musicians, coming home elicits small pleasures. For Ellingsworth, it’s a chance to share how she’s improved; for Schuh, it’s being back in his own bed and getting reacquainted with favorite spots such as Booche’s.

Each artist has different plans for the immediate future — FFR is finishing a new record; Scott will return to the States this fall; Ellingsworth plans to remain in the Netherlands for the time being — but they’re all finding success at a place where the lessons of home and the call of the road intersect.

THE FOUNDRY FIELD RECORDINGSWho: The Foundry Field Recordings with Netherfriends and Malone

Where: Mojo’s, 1013 Park Ave.

When: Tomorrow, doors open at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: $5

Web site: www.mojoscolumbia.com

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